Animated sign



G. R. PYPER.

ANIMATED SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE30, 1920.

1 9] 1T Lm 4 BUS E w d2 m m P G. R. PYPER.

ANIMATED SIGN.

APPLICATiON FILED JUNE 30, I920.

1,882,228. Patented June 21, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES GEORGE R. PYPER, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR PATENT OFFICE.

T0 PYPER ANIMATED SIG-N COMPANY, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, A CORPORATION OF UTAH.

ANIMATED SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 21, 1921.

Application filed June 30, 1920. Serial No. 392,954.

To all whom it may concern? Be it known that I, GEORGE R. PYPER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Animated Signs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention is concerned with animated signs, and is designed to produce a simple and cheaply constructed sign that can have the. subject matter thereof changed or renewed whenever it is necessary or desired without any substantial trouble or expense.

To this end, I provide a permanent casing provided with means of access in which is mounted the customary light for illuminating the animated portion, and in the picture frame constituting the front of the casing, I place a screen plate, preferably made of sheet metal, and having its surface that will beback of any portion of a picture that it may be desired to animate perforated by mechanism.

comparatively small closely spaced apertures. In front of this screen plate and firmly secured relative thereto by any desired means is a poster sheet, the front of which is like any ordinary poster, but the back differs therefrom in that it has printed, painted or otherwise secured on its back a layer of opaque material, such as heavy black paint or printers ink, over that portion of the back corresponding to so much of the poster as is not to be animated. So much of the back as corresponds to the part to be animated is left bare, or if any particular color is to be given to all or any or different parts of the animated portion, it is painted or printed thereon in a thin translucent coating that does not interfere substantially with the passage of light, but merely serves to tint it to the desired color or colors. Within the casing between the light and the portion of the perforated plate covering the animated part of the posters, I mount the animating member, preferably adjustably, so that the same animating member can be used to animate the pictures of different posters. The posters can be printed or painted on both ides each side having its own design, as described when they are made, and sent out to where they are to be used, and applied in a few minutes by anybody familiar with the use of animating To lllustrate my invention, I annex hereto two sheets of drawings in which the same reference characters are used to designate identical parts in all the figures of which- Figure 1 1s a front elevation of a sign employmg my invention, poster torn off from one corner toshow the perforated screen plate;

lFltg. If is are? elevation of the poster S Lee s own 111 ront elevatio i detached; n n Flg 1 Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line of F l; and

F1g. 4 1s a front elevation of the same with the poster and the perforated screen plate removed. The main body portion 10 of the casing 1s made of sheet metal, and is in the form of a generally rectangular metallic box preferably provided with a door 11 in the rear to g1ve access to the interior. The front of the casmg has secured thereon to make a plcture frame, as it were, a hollow shaped metal molding 12, which has the face portion or ledge 13 bounded on the outer edge thereofby the forwardly extending flange 14, so as to form a seat for the metallic screen plate 15, which is of the proper size to rest m the seat thus provided, and which 1s provided preferably over its entire surface with small closely spaced, preferably regular perforations 16. Placed directly against this screen plate, and secured firmly relatively thereto is the poster 17, which will be of the standard size for which the'frame is adapted, and which will have printed on its front surface whatever matter it may be desired to advertise. In the drawingfI have illustrated an automobile tire 18 which is shown as rolling upon road 19 forming a part of the scenic background 20, and it will be understood that the subject matter of the poster may be varied indefinitely so far as carrving out the principles of my in vention is concerned, always provided that there is a portion of it to be animated.

The purpose of the animation in the present instance is to produce the illusion of the tire as rolling, and preparatory to this end, all of the back 21' of the poster that is exposed to the animating light 43 in the rear, except the generally elliptical portions 22 and 23, and the partial ellipses 24:, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29, is heavily coated by printing or painting with a black pigment, or some 34 of the arm 35 pivotally secured bythe bolt and wing nut 36 in any desired adjustment upon the outer end of the arm 37, which in turn is similarly secured by the bolt and wing nut 38 in any desired position of adjustment on the arm 39 supported in any suitable manner from the inside of one side of the casing 10. To rotate the animating 'disk 30 at any desired speed, I mount in the casing a small electric fan 40,

which is preferably adjustably supported on the bracket 41, which in turn may be adj ustably supported on the side of the casing in any desired manner, so that the blast of air from the fan may be directed against'the vanes 42 secured to and projecting outward from the rear of the disk 30. By this means, the animating disk may be adjusted to any needed position within the casing, and the fan properly placed relative to one side thereof so as to cause the desired rotation above the animating member, the speed of which can be controlled by regulating the speed of the fan 40 in the customary manner.

The illumination for the animated portion is furnished by the powerful incandescent bulb 43 which is mounted in a socket 44 supported by the arm 45 which is adjustably secured in any desired position on the end of the arm 46 by the bolt and wing nut 47. The arm 46 in turn is adjustably supported at its inner end on a bracket 48, seen in dotted. lines in Fig. 3, corresponding to and preferably in alinement with the bracket 39 for the animating disk. The light will be so adjusted that the rays from it will be thrown through the slits 31 andthrough the perforations 16 back of the portions 22, 23, 24. 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29, the axis of the disk being at the center of the tire. as indicated in Fig. 1, so that the effect of the animation is to cause a series of waves of light to traverse the tire 18, and thus give it the appearance of movement.

As a convenient means for securing the poster against the perforated plate 15, I may employ the cl amping member 49, which may be made of strips of angle iron of the proper size and shape to register with the surface 13, and which is preferably held in place by the screws 51 passed through holes in this The parts 22 to 29,

be obvious that all that has to be done 15 to remove the screws 51, the clamping member 49 and the poster, and to replace it by a fresh one. If the poster is of a different design, so that the animating mechanism has to be adjusted to a new position, the perforated screen plate may also be removed and the necessary adjustment of the disk 30, the fan 40 and the light 43 made, after which the screen plate will be returned, and the poster will be put in place and secured as before. It will of course be understood that if the screen plate were permanently; secured in place or could not be conveniently removed,

these adjustments might be made through the door 11.

While I have shown and described my invention as embodied in the form which I 'at present consider best adapted to carry out its purposes, it will be understood that it is capable of modifications and that I do not desire to of the following claims except as may be necessitated by the state of the prior art.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is-- 1. In an animated sign, the combination with a frame, of a plate supported in the front thereof and having relatively small closely spaced perforations therein, a poster sheet securely held in front of the same and having between it and the perforated plate a layer of opaque material corresponding to so much of the front of the poster as is not to be animated, a light back of the perforated plate, a movable animating member mounted between the light and the part of the poster to be animated, and means for moving the animating member.

2. In an animated sign, the combination with a. frame, of a plate supported in the front thereof and having relatively small closely spaced perforations therein, a poster sheet securely held in front of the same and having laid on its back a layer of opaque be limited in the interpretation material corresponding to somuch of the front of the poster as is not to be animated, a light back of the perforated plate, a movable animating member mounted between the light and the part of the poster to be animated, and means for moving the aniplate a layer of opaque material corresponding to so much of the front of the poster as is not to be animated, a clamping member corresponding in outline to the ledge of the frame resting against the edge of the poster, screws passing throu h the clamping member, poster and pe orated plate into the frame ledge, a light back of the perforated plate, a movable animating member mounted between the light and the part of the poster to be animated, and means for moving the animating member.

4. In an animated sign, the combination With a translucent poster-sheet having display matter printed on one side and on the other an opa ue design corresponding to so much of the display matter on the front as is not to be animated, of means for supporting said" poster with its display side exposed, an artificial light on the other side of the poster, an animating mechanism disposed between the light and a part of the poster to be animated, and means to move said animating mechanism.

5. In an animated sign, the combination with a frame, of a plate supported in the front thereof and having relatively small, closely spaced perforations therein, a poster sheet securely held in front of the same, a

light back of the perforated plate adapted to throw rays through all the perforations, an animating member between the light and the plate, a layer of opaque material corresponding to so much of the poster as is not to be animated interposed between it and the animating member, and means for movin the animating member.

witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and afiixed my seal this 28th'day of June, A. D. 1920.

GEORGE R. PYPER. a 8.] 

